|
A summary of the General Convention: Personal views from Bp. Brookhart:
The General Convention meets every three years, is composed of two houses (The House of Bishops and The House of Deputies), and holds the highest level of authority in The Episcopal Church. Every diocese is represented by its bishop and deputies (four clerics and four lay persons). This was the 77th General Convention, and was held in Indianapolis, Indiana, July 3-12.
The major accomplishment of this convention was a resolution empowering the formation of a special task force to reorganize the General Convention. There has been a wide-spread sense throughout the church that the GenCon as it currently operates is cumbersome, outdated, too long, too expensive, and controlled by entrenched power brokers. This resolution, passed unanimously by both Houses, asks the Presiding Bishop and the President of the House of Deputies to appoint up to 24 persons, who will fashion a plan for reorganization for the next GenCon in Salt Lake City in 2015. This is a stunning, even miraculous, event, and the passage of the enabling resolution set the tone for a mission-oriented convention.
Lots of publicity has been generated by the approval of a provisional rite for the blessing of same-gender couples. Whether you are pro or con on this issue, all of us should take a breath and not jump to conclusions about what the rite says and means. This is a complicated matter, and we will have the next three years to chew on it. Let me, however, make a few comments.
* This is provisional and will be studied and evaluated for the next triennium.
* Its use or non-use is under the authority of the local bishop diocesan.
Finally, I thank the diocese for providing for my attendance at this important event.
The convention took a firm stand against the practice of "open table," that is, allowing the unbaptized to commune.
I was appointed to serve as co-chair of the legislative committee on ecumenism and interreligious affairs. This was a first for me, and required that I approach the task with a fairly steep learning curve. At the least, I did not embarrass myself or the diocese.
The GenCon this year was remarkable for me by the spirit of warmth and generosity, lack of rancor, and a renewed focus on the mission of the church. We had some superb daily Eucharists, including some of the finest church music I have heard in a long time.
I am grateful for the hard and faithful work of the Montana deputation, who represented us in positive and faithful ways. Lay members were: Cynthia Benkelman (All Saints', Columbia Falls), Samar Fay (St. Matthew's, Glasgow), Barb Hagen (Nativity, Helena) and Sandy Williams (St. Andrew's, Livingston). Clerical members were: Robyn Barnes (Nativity, Helena), Mike Fay (St. Matthew's Glasgow), Linda McCloud (Holy Cross, Billings) and Bradley Wirth (All Saints', Columbia Falls). Sandy Williams ably served as chair of the deputation.
* It is not a "marriage" ceremony, even though you may hear it referred to in that way.
* The rite functions as a way for same-gender couples to enter the spiritual discipline of a faithful and monogamous relationship.
* In Montana, the rite, if used, has no legal status.
* No priest can be forced to use the rite.
* Before I say more about it, I will be consulting with the Standing Committee and the Chancellor.
As I said, take a breath. We will work on this together.
Elections are always a crucial part of the GenCon. Members of the Executive Council, officers of the General Convention, members of the General Board of Examining Chaplains, Trustees of the Church Pension Group, and Trustees of the General Theological Seminary were voted into their respective positions. The House of Deputies elected the Rev. Gay Jennings of the Diocese of Ohio as its new President.
A budget was received, and significantly, it was revised to reflect the Five Marks of Mission.
The church's response to the Anglican Covenant was a topic of some discussion, and was watched by some parts of the Anglican Communion. The Covenant was developed by a special committee of the Anglican Communion and is seen as a document describing the various factors that hold the Communion together. Every province of the Communion (The Episcopal Church is one such province) has been asked to accept the Covenant. For many of us the problematic part of the Covenant was a section describing the process by which a province can be dismissed from the Communion for "violations" of the Covenant. In general, the Covenant has been met with muted responses at best. For example, the Church of England has not been able to muster enough support for the Covenant to sign on. All of this is introduction to say the GenCon declined at this time to take any official action. The resolution noted that there remains a variety of opinions in our church regarding the covenant, that we wish to remain a part of the Communion, and that we will monitor developments over the next three years. My own opinion is that this is an honest and responsible response to the Covenant, which I see as a flawed document. | 
